Lake Arrowhead Brewing Company hosted a pre-grand opening celebration at its brewery, located adjacent to the Burnt Mill Beach Club on the shores of Lake Arrowhead, on Saturday, July 25. Co-owner and founder Travis Lanthier, a 2004 Rim High School graduate, launched his quest to begin Lake Arrowhead’s first brewery in September 2018.

Following a year-and-a-half of jumping through numerous hoops with the county, including the gathering of permits and a series of inspections by the San Bernardino County Health Department, Lanthier recently received the go-ahead from the county to open to the public fulltime.

Prior to beginning the brewery, Travis and his wife, Megan, a 2005 Rim High graduate, met while Travis was working at Lake Arrowhead Deli. Megan attended the University of Redlands, where she earned a degree in business administration. Meanwhile, Travis opted to study at Oregon State University, where he also graduated with a business administration degree.

Megan, who was missing Travis, traveled to Oregon, where the couple toured numerous breweries.

When asked what inspired him to start a brewery, Travis told The Alpine Mountaineer, “After finishing high school, I moved to Oregon, where Megan and I visited lots of breweries. This gave me the idea of starting a brewery of my own.”

When he learned that a brewery was starting up in Lake Arrowhead, Green Valley Lake resident Jason Piper, who had already worked at several breweries, contacted Travis and offered his services as the fledgling company’s brew master. Travis accepted his services and, together, they proceeded to conjure up 15 different lagers, ales and stouts, four of which will be sold year-round.

At their July 25 “soft opening,” seven varieties were served: Pinnacles Pale, the ever-popular Lake Lager, Burnt Mill Brown, North Bay IPA, Amber Ale, Crushable IPA and non-alcoholic Meyer Lemon Hop Water. Adding to the excitement was a food truck from Rosa Maria’s, which served mouth-watering tacos, burritos and nachos.

At a previous weekend pre-opening, Buddy’s BBQ served its melt-in-your-mouth barbecued brisket sandwiches. Future weekend events, Travis said, will once again feature Rosa Maria’s and, “hopefully,” he said, In-N-Out Burger.

The July 25 soft opening lured scores of local residents, as well as non-locals from as far away as Los Angeles, who, while properly masked (when necessary) and socially distanced, enjoyed the camaraderie and Rosa Maria’s fare, paired with the locally brewed beverages.

Asked what brought her to the food and beverage event, Denise Whitty said, “I was paddle boarding nearby and decided to check it out.”

According to Travis, the brewery is open daily, from 12 noon to 8 p.m., with the exception of Mondays and Tuesdays. Curbside pick-up is available during open hours.